Chase Briscoe’s win shakes up the standings as Tyler Reddick’s slide gets even worse

Just a few weeks ago, Tyler Reddick looked firmly in control of the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship battle. Ever since the Daytona 500, the 23XI Racing driver had occupied the top spot in the standings, and by the time the series reached Memorial Day Weekend in May, he had built what seemed to be a commanding 129-point advantage over the competition. That cushion, however, has disappeared now.

The momentum first shifted at Sonoma, where Reddick’s race unraveled after he was eliminated just 106 laps into the event. The disappointing 36th-place finish yielded only two championship points and allowed Denny Hamlin to capitalize. Despite crossing the finish line 26th himself, Hamlin collected 11 points, which proved enough to edge one point ahead of his own 23XI Racing driver and claim the regular-season points lead for the first time this year.

• Heading into Chicagoland, the battle between team owner and driver had become one of the closest storylines in the championship. Hamlin held a slim one-point advantage, while Reddick had an opportunity to immediately reclaim the lead. Instead, misfortune struck once again.
• Although Reddick showed competitive pace early in the race, his afternoon took a major turn when a piece of debris punctured the radiator on his Toyota. The damage forced the No. 45 team behind the wall for repairs, costing Reddick 30 laps and any realistic chance of salvaging a meaningful result. The setback proved especially costly in the championship fight, as Hamlin backed up his strong recent form with a third-place finish, extending his advantage from a single point to 44 after Chicagoland.
• While Hamlin strengthened his grip on the regular-season standings, Chase Briscoe enjoyed one of the biggest gains of the weekend. Fresh off securing his first win of the season at Chicagoland, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver climbed three positions in the championship, moving from 11th to 8th and further strengthening his playoff outlook as the regular season enters its final stretch.
• Besides those top changes, the battle around the playoff cut line also tightened considerably. Daniel Suarez was among the biggest losers in the standings, slipping from ninth to 11th after dropping two positions.
• Ryan Preece also endured a costly weekend, falling from 15th to 17th, which pushed him below the provisional playoff cut line.
• That opened the door for Erik Jones, who climbed back above the cutoff and now occupies the final transfer position with only a four-point cushion over Preece.
• The fight remains far from settled, with Joey Logano sitting just 16 points behind the cutoff alongside AJ Allmendinger, while Brad Keselowski remains well within striking distance despite occupying 20th in the standings, trailing the final playoff spot by only 19 points.

With only a handful of regular-season races remaining, what once appeared to be Reddick’s championship to lose has transformed into one of the most competitive points battles of the year.

Hamlin now controls the standings, Briscoe has surged into the top eight following his breakthrough victory, and the fight for the final playoff positions continues to tighten as every stage point and finishing position becomes increasingly valuable.

Full NASCAR Cup standings after Chicago: